The Perfect Kill: 21 Laws for Assassins

Assassination has been dramatized by literature and politicized by infamous murders throughout history, and for Robert Baer, one of the most accomplished agents to ever work for the CIA, it's a source of endless fascination, speculation, and intrigue. Over several decades, Baer served as an operative, from Iraq to New Delhi and beyond; notably, his career was the model for the acclaimed movie Syriana.

See No Evil

In his explosive New York Times best seller, top CIA operative Robert Baer paints a chilling picture of how terrorism works on the inside and provides startling evidence of how Washington politics sabotaged the CIA's efforts to root out the world's deadliest terrorists, allowing for the rise of Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda and the continued entrenchment of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

Sleeping with the Devil: How Washington Sold Its Soul for Saudi Crude

Baer goes behind the scenes to show how the U.S. willingly overlooked the corruption of the Saudi royal family, its financing of violent Islamic fundamentalist groups that spread hatred of the West throughout Saudi society, and its bribery of American officials. From a close-up with a corrupt Arab family to the inside scoop on how we helped fund the Taliban, Baer shows what's at stake in our pursuit of oil.

The Devil We Know: Dealing with the New Iranian Superpower

Over the past 30 years, while the United States has turned either a blind or dismissive eye, Iran has emerged as a nation every bit as capable of altering America's destiny as traditional superpowers Russia and China. Indeed, one of this book's central arguments is that, in some ways, Iran's grip on America's future is even tighter.

Blow the House Down

Veteran CIA officer Max Waller has long been obsessed with the abduction and murder of his Agency mentor. Though years of digging yield the name of a suspect, an Iranian math genius turned terrorist, the trail seems too cold to justify further effort. Then Max turns up a photograph of the man standing alongside Osama bin Laden and a mysterious westerner whose face has been cut out, feeding Max's suspicion.

Left of Boom: How a Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda

On September 11, 2001, Doug Laux was a freshman in college, on the path to becoming a doctor. But with the fall of the Twin Towers came a turning point in his life. After graduating, he joined the Central Intelligence Agency, determined to get himself to Afghanistan and into the center of the action. Through persistence and hard work, he was fast-tracked to a clandestine operations position overseas. Dropped into a remote region of Afghanistan, he received his baptism by fire.

Gray Work: Confessions of an American Paramilitary Spy

In this unprecedented audiobook, a paramilitary contractor with more than two decades of experience gives us a firsthand look into the secret lives of America's private warriors and their highly covert work around the world. Author Jamie Smith has planned and executed hundreds of missions on behalf of government agencies and private industry in some of the world's most dangerous hot spots - and lived to tell the tale.

Good Hunting: An American Spymaster's Story

Good Hunting: An American Spymaster's Story is the spellbinding memoir of Devine's time in the CIA, where he served for more than 30 years, rising to become the acting deputy director of operations, responsible for all of the agency's spying operations. This is a story of intrigue and high-stakes maneuvering - all the more gripping when the fate of our geopolitical order hangs in the balance. But this audiobook also sounds a warning to our nation's decision makers.

Relentless Strike: The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command

Relentless Strike tells the inside story of Joint Special Operations Command, the secret military organization that, during the past decade, has revolutionized counterterrorism, seamlessly fusing intelligence and operational skills to conduct missions that hit the headlines and those that have remained in the shadows - until now. Because JSOC includes the military's most storied special operations units - Delta Force, SEAL Team Six, the 75th Ranger Regiment - as well as America's most secret aviation and intelligence units, this is their story, too.

Civilian Warriors: The Inside Story of Blackwater and the Unsung Heroes of the War on Terror

Blackwater is one of the most misunderstood companies of our time. As Erik Prince, its founder and former CEO, writes: "Hundreds of American citizens employed by private military contractors, or PMCs, would lose their lives helping our government wage wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, only to have their memory tarnished by the unfair and/or ignorant depiction of PMCs as profiteers, jackbooted thugs, or worse."

Zero Footprint: The True Story of a Private Military Contractor's Covert Assignments in Syria, Libya, and the World's Most Dangerous Places

Armored cars, burner phones, top-notch weaponry, and top-secret missions - this is the life of today's private military contractor. Like author Simon Chase, many PMCs were once the world's top military operatives, and since retiring from outfits like US Navy SEAL TEAM Six and the UK's Special Boat Service, they have devoted their lives to executing missions too sensitive for the government to acknowledge. Chase reveals here for the first time the operations too hazardous and politically volatile to be officially sanctioned by his employers.

Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001

The explosive first-hand account of America's secret history in Afghanistan. With the publication of Ghost Wars, Steve Coll became not only a Pulitzer Prize winner, but also the expert on the rise of the Taliban, the emergence of Bin Laden, and the secret efforts by CIA officers and their agents to capture or kill Bin Laden in Afghanistan after 1998.

The Master of Disguise: My Secret Life in the CIA

From the author of Argo comes an unforgettable behind-the-scenes story of espionage in action. In the first ever memoir by a top-level operative to be authorized by the CIA, Antonio J. Mendez reveals the cunning tricks and insights that helped save hundreds from deadly situations.

Wolf Boys: Two American Teenagers and Mexico's Most Dangerous Drug Cartel

At first glance Gabriel Cardona is the poster-boy American teenager: great athlete, bright, handsome, and charismatic. But the streets of his border town of Laredo, Texas, are poor and dangerous, and it isn't long before Gabriel abandons his promising future for the allure of the Zetas, a drug cartel with roots in the Mexican military. His younger friend, Bart, as well as others from Gabriel's childhood join him in working for the Zetas, boosting cars and smuggling drugs, eventually catching the eye of the cartel's leadership.

The New Tsar: The Rise and Reign of Vladimir Putin

The epic tale of the rise to power of Russia's current president - the only complete biography in English - that fully captures his emergence from shrouded obscurity and deprivation to become one of the most consequential and complicated leaders in modern history, by the former New York Times Moscow bureau chief.

The Art of Intelligence: Lessons from a Life in the CIA's Clandestine Service

A legendary CIA spy and counterterrorism expert here tells the spellbinding story of his high-risk, action-packed career while illustrating the growing importance of America's intelligence officers and their secret missions. The Art of Intelligence draws from the full arc of Henry Crumpton's espionage and covert action exploits to explain what America's spies do and why their service is more valuable than ever.

Red Platoon: A True Story of American Valor

In 2009 Clinton Romesha of Red Platoon and the rest of the Black Knight Troop were preparing to shut down Command Outpost Keating, the most remote and inaccessible in a string of bases built by the US military in Nuristan and Kunar in the hope of preventing Taliban insurgents from moving freely back and forth between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Three years after Keating's construction, the army was finally ready to concede what the men on the ground had known immediately: It was simply too isolated and too dangerous to defend.

At the Center of the Storm: My Years at the CIA

In the whirlwind of accusations and recriminations that has attended the post 9/11 world, one man's vital testimony has been conspicuously absent. Candid and compelling, At the Center of the Storm is George Tenet's memoir of his life at the CIA - a revelatory look at the inner workings of America's top intelligence agency and its dealings with national leaders at home and abroad.

The Way of the Knife: The CIA, a Secret Army, and a War at the Ends of the Earth

Pulitzer Prize winner Mark Mazzetti examines secret wars over the past decade, tracking key characters from the intelligence and military communities across the world. Among the characters we meet in The Way of the Knife are a young CIA officer dropped into the tribal areas to learn the hard way how the spy games in Pakistan are played; an Air Force test pilot who fired the first drone missile in the Nevada desert; and a chain-smoking Pentagon official who ran an off-the-books spying operation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The Last Punisher: A SEAL Team Three Sniper's True Account of the Battle of Ramadi

The Last Punisher is a bold, no-holds-barred first-person account of the Iraq War. With wry humor and moving testimony, Kevin Lacz tells the story of his tour in Iraq with SEAL Team Three, the warrior elite of the navy. This legendary unit, known as The Punishers, included Chris Kyle (American Sniper), Mike Monsoor, Ryan Job, and Marc Lee. These brave men were instrumental in securing the key locations in the pivotal 2006 Battle of Ramadi, told with stunning detail in this book.

A Spy's Guide to Thinking

In this 45-minute listen, a former spy introduces two simple tools for thinking. The first describes how we think. The second helps us think ahead. They are the essential tools for getting things done. The tools are applied to an incident in a subway car in Europe where a spy faces a new enemy. Then, they're reapplied to Saddam Hussein's stockpiling (or not) of weapons of mass destruction.

88 Days to Kandahar: A CIA Diary

In his gripping narrative, we meet General Tommy Franks, who bridles at CIA control of "his" war; General "Jafar Amin", a gruff Pakistani intelligence officer who saves Grenier from committing career suicide; Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan's brilliant ambassador to the US, who tries to warn her government of the al-Qaeda threat; "Mark", the CIA operator who guides GulAgha Shirzai to bloody victory over the Taliban.

Mossad: The Greatest Missions of the Israeli Secret Service

In Mossad, authors MichaelBar-Zohar and Nissim Mishal take us behind the closed curtain with riveting, eye-opening, boots-on-the-ground accounts of the most dangerous, most crucial missions in the agency's 60-year history.

Playing to the Edge: American Intelligence in the Age of Terror

An unprecedented high-level master narrative of America's intelligence wars from the only person ever to helm both the CIA and NSA, at a time of heinous new threats and wrenching change. For General Michael Hayden, playing to the edge means playing so close to the line that you get chalk dust on your cleats. Otherwise, by playing back, you may protect yourself, but you will be less successful in protecting America.

Publisher's Summary

Robert Baer was known inside the CIA as perhaps the best operative working the Middle East. But if his career was all that a spy might aspire to, his personal life was a brutal illustration of everything a spy is asked to sacrifice.

Dayna Williamson thought of herself as just an ordinary California girl. But she was always looking to get closer to the edge. When she joined the CIA, she was initially tasked with Agency background checks, but she quickly distinguished herself as someone who could thrive in the field. Tapped to serve in some of the world’s most dangerous places, she discovered an inner strength and resourcefulness she’d never known - but she also came to see that the spy life exacts a heavy toll.

When Bob and Dayna met on a mission in Sarajevo, it wasn’t love at first sight. But there was something there, a spark. And as the danger escalated and their affection for each other grew, they realized it was time to leave “the Company,” to somehow rediscover the people they’d once been. As worldly as they both were, the couple didn’t realize at first that turning in their Agency ID cards would not be enough to put their covert past behind.

What the Critics Say

"The Company We Keep is the best true-life spy story I've ever read…You'll find yourself rooting for these two vagabond spies, and you won't want their exciting and moving story to end." (David Ignatius, New York Times bestselling author of Body of Lies)

"Provides a spot-on and compelling portrait of real life inside the CIA; the periods of boredom and frustration loudly punctuated by fast-moving and sometimes frightening, sometimes amusing intelligence operations. Bob and Dayna Baer are the real deal and they beautifully capture the murky world they lived and worked in for years." (Valerie Plame Wilson, New York Times bestselling author of Fair Game)

"An emotionally candid memoir of a life few could imagine, juggling terrorists and dictators with all too real family dramas…describes how two accomplished spies trained in shooting for the heart, improbably found their own." (Jane Mayer, National Book Award Finalist for The Dark Side)

This was a delightful story which most will find informative and entertaining. Dayna and Robert Baer were CIA agents who met in the course of their work. The book begins with alternating chapters about each. Then, their paths cross and, well, things work out from there. The last portion of the book carries into their marriage. Others have provided more detail than this in their reviews so I'll not duplicate what has been said. Suffice it to say, the reader will learn some about CIA agents and how they work. They will find the stories told here very humanizing. Those looking for romance will find it here as well. The book is well written by the dynamic duo. They both read portions of the text with Richard McGonagle which yields great narration.

The Baers are people you would love to invite to a dinner party or sit next to on a long flight. They have such an interesting story, and it's fun hearing about real life in the CIA (it's not shoot-em-ups and carrying around rocket launchers like in the movies). But, the writing feels like a work report. There's no emotion or character development. . . . . . . Look, I realize it's a tough situation -- opening your life to the world and letting your former employer review the text before publication -- but I didn't really feel invested in either of them. There's some timeline jumping around; I wasn't really clear how they were making a living after leaving the CIA; and we're never really told when Dayna formally separates after her "leave of absence." She goes to law school, but then what? It's not well explained. . . . . . Usually it's a plus having the authors narrate their own work, but in this case I'm not sure it works well. I heard them in an interview on NPR (which is what led me to purchasing the audible version) -- they were bright, fun and interesting. They talked like normal human beings. But for the actual audio book, the Baers just read the words without much inflection. Even when something tough happens, the words are just read -- there's no emotion. They feel flatlined, almost like someone who is hollow and depressed. The director should have worked through this with them. . . . . . This work could have been so much better because the story is there, it's just the writing that gets in the way.

Truth is better than fiction. Don't expect some fake hollywood spy novel. The narrator in parts has a unique voice, but it's not that distracting. It's just a huge contrast to Robert and Dayna's voice.

This book was more touching and more exciting than any fictional spy story I've ever read. It's good to hear about the reality of life for an American spy, their sacrifices, courage and decency. The CIA is first and foremost an information gathering agency and we should applaud their successes and forgive their failures.

After hundreds of fictional movies of spies and their lives, their real story is not what you'd expect. But now I can watch movies and know what is real practice and what is not in the spy world. My only criticism of the audio book is the voice of Dayna Baer--it so annoyingly monotone.She might not be that way in real life, but their manager should have considered an actress to read her part because emotions sell. Regardless, I will buy another book written by Robert Baer...eventually.

I loved this book. I liked how both authors tell the story, it gives you greater insight into each of them. The book moves very fast and you learn a lot about how operatives work. I found it informative, and at times funny and sad.... this should be on your summer reading list.

The write-ups on this inferred a plot of some sort, perhaps some intrigue and maybe some excitement. This was an overly washed collection of journal entries from two people who hooked up in the CIA. The most interesting part of the book was...(spoiler alert) when she wanted to buy a rabbit. I'm sure the publisher made money on the piece by playing it up to be something it absolutely was not, but I wouldn't recommend this to anyone except an insomniac. It was opaque.

What was most disappointing about Dayna Baer and Robert Baer ’s story?

They didn't tell their story. If they did, then they have the most boring lives ever. Missing a plane, shopping for a rabbit and not getting along with family is hardly the type of spy-intrigue promised by the write-ups for this one. I'd bet two accountants hooking up at a company Christmas party would have more drama and intrigue than this story.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of the narrators?

I would not have written this one. There was no story, nothing to write about. The write-ups for this one intentionally misled listeners into thinking something actually happens when nothing ever does. It was a solid waste of time and energy for the listener and a cheap money grab by the authors and publisher.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Betrayal. I was cheated and lied to about what this book was all about.

This is just a story about 2 spies and some of their life as spies. It is interesting from the point of how spies travel and move around, that is about it.

The worst part is the authors read the story. I thought that the authors would have some interest, but they sound like they are reading their shopping list. It is hard to keep track of what is going on through the continuous monotone voices droning on and on....

I generally read spy memoirs as they are an interestiong between two of my favorite non-fiction genres: true crime and military history. This one I was partly also intersted in due to Baer's fairly frequent appearance as a guest commentator on TV and his inspiration to the film "Syriana". This book did not disappoint from lacking in intrigue and action since it is a very human, compelling husband-wife autobiography about being in the CIA and trying to outlive. Like "Honor Thy Father", the book is a tale of the banality of the underworld, but most of it is the two trying to outlive their spy past, despite the world intruding on their remote home and overcoming the obstacles of their independent effort to international adoption through Pakistan. The book is told in a relfective, philosophical almost wistful telling as if their lives are rather unreal and dreamlike, which is how they seem to me.

I really appreciate the trade-off narration between both the Baers in this excellent husband & wife memoir. It highlighted the different points of view both had of their shared experience.